ty of this
Convention. We have gone over the whole ground, and placed our
cause upon the decrees of nature. We _know_ that man and woman
are equal in the sight of God. We know that texts and books are
of no importance, and have no taste for the discussion of dry
doctrinal points.

But with the American people the case is different. The masses
believe the Bible directly from God; that it decrees the
inequality of the sexes; and that settles the question. There is
no doubt that there are many persons connected with the
Protestant churches who would be with the movement were it not
for the supposed Bible difficulty. They shudder at anything they
think against the Bible, as against the will of God. Take away
this incubus, and these persons would experience a change in
their views; they would be with us.

In regard to Mr. Grew, Mr. G. said he had long known him and
loved him. He was a man of purity and charity, and he was glad he
had given his views. Yet this kindly man did not stand upon a
solid foundation.

Why go to the Bible to settle this question? As a nation, we have
practically ignored the Bible. The assertion of the equality and
inalienability of the rights of man, in the Declaration of
Independence, includes the whole of the human race. He would
never attempt to prove to an American the right of any man to
liberty. He asserted the fact; and considered that in holding
slaves while they proclaimed liberty to all men, the American
people were hypocrites and tyrants. Mr. Grew goes to St. Paul to
prove that woman is not equal to man. Why go to the Bible? What
question was ever settled by the Bible? What question of theology
or any other department? None that I ever heard of! With this
same version of the Bible, and the same ability to read it, we
find that it has filled all Christendom with theological
confusion. All are Ishmaelites; each man's hand against his
neighbor.

The human mind is greater than any book. The mind sits in
judgment on every book. If there be truth in the book, we take
it; if error, we discard it. Why refer this to the Bible? In this
country, the Bible has been used to support slavery and capital
punishment; while in the old countries, it has been quoted to
sustain all manner of tyranny and persecutio